Let's describe the production of cat litter as a business. To do this, you just need to purchase simple equipment and master simple technology. Experts estimate the profitability of such a project quite high, but much depends on competition in a particular region.
For cat lovers, it is important that the stores have a sufficient selection of such products. After all, toilet fillers are bought almost as often as food. It performs the function of absorbing liquids, eliminating unpleasant odors and must be safe for animal health. If you offer customers a high-quality and inexpensive product, then there will be a constant demand for it.
Business Benefits
Creating such a project is beneficial because:
- Organic filler is very cheap and available to almost all buyers.
- Raw materials for its manufacture are easy to find, and the cost of production is quite low.
- A relatively small start-up capital is required.
- Profitability is estimated at 100-150%, which looks very attractive.
- It does not require special knowledge and training in production.
- When opening a company and paperwork, additional certification of products is not needed, and regulatory authorities rarely check such a workshop.
- You can simultaneously engage in the production of other goods from the same raw materials, which will significantly expand the range and increase profits.
Registration
In order for your business to be legal, you should register an individual entrepreneur or LLC in the tax service, indicate the OKVED code corresponding to your activity, and also choose a more favorable taxation system.
Conveniently, this type of product does not require mandatory certification, especially if you focus on making organic options. This raw material already implies the use of natural ingredients that are safe for animals and people.
Types of fillers
Depending on what it is made of, there are such options:
- Organic - their composition has a natural basis. The materials used can be corn waste, wood shavings, pellets, nutshells, etc. They are considered the cheapest and easiest to manufacture, and only the possibility of individual particles sticking to the paws of an animal is singled out as a disadvantage.
- From bentonite clay or zeolite minerals - a clumping substance is obtained, which, when wet, easily collects into a separate piece and is simply removed with a spatula. But to use it, it is better to purchase a tray with high sides so that the filler does not crumble onto the floor.
- Silica gel - high quality products that provide good absorption. But some cat owners have noticed that not all animals like the special rustling sound from touching paws with such a filler.
The easiest and most affordable is the purchase of an automated line for the production of organic goods, for example, from sawdust. The rest of the equipment, as well as the raw materials themselves, will cost much more, which will require serious costs.
As a basis, wood pellets are used, which are waste wood products. Therefore, it is beneficial to establish constant contact with such organizations and receive ready-made raw materials 6-8 mm in size from them. Their processing will be simple and fast.
In addition to cat litter, it is possible to produce similar products from the same material. So, without any special costs, it is possible to expand the range of goods and produce fuel for fireplaces, barbecues, fertilizer for the earth, bedding for cattle, etc.
Premises and transport
It is quite easy to find a suitable building for arranging a workshop. In order to save money, rent a small area on the outskirts of cities or even beyond. Dimensions may not exceed 50 square meters. m. You need to divide it into a working area and a warehouse. It is convenient that the finished filler does not require special storage conditions.
Don't forget to take care of transport. It is most convenient to deliver raw materials and deliver goods to stores when you have your own truck. In the absence of sufficient finances, at first this can be done with the help of a rented car.
Equipment
A complete automated line consists of the following elements:
- grinder;
- Dryer;
- granulator;
- cooler;
- packing machine.
You can buy equipment as a ready-made kit, or separately. In order to save money, use used equipment or find inexpensive lines from a domestic manufacturer.
Experienced entrepreneurs advise paying special attention to granulators. It is they who provide a convenient granular form to the material. This technique can be bulky and take up almost the entire workshop, or it can be compact in size. The second option can be installed immediately at a woodworking enterprise and receive a finished product.
Technological process
Let us briefly describe how the creation of organic filler occurs:
- Perform preliminary drying of granules, shavings, sawdust or other raw materials.
- Then additional drying is carried out in order to achieve a moisture content of the material not higher than 10%.
- Raw materials are crushed using a hammer mill.
- Steam is passed through it to moisten, due to which the substance sticks together.
- Next, you need to process it with a press.
- Cool products.
- Screened and packed in containers of 5, 10, 15 and 30 kg.
Usually, simple Zip Lock bags are purchased for packaging and a label with the company logo is printed separately.
Staff
Do I need to hire employees for such production? If you are focusing on large volumes of manufactured goods, then it is advisable to hire 2 people. Since it does not require special skills and knowledge, it is enough to find unskilled specialists and pay the minimum wage.
Separately, decide whether you need an accountant and a sales manager. Typically, such functions are performed by the entrepreneur himself. But if there is not enough necessary knowledge, then you can hire such personnel separately. Accounting is often outsourced, which significantly reduces labor costs.
Deciding what fillers are, choosing your niche and making the first batches of goods is only half the battle. The profitability of a business is directly affected by its implementation. You can start selling cat litter through the following channels:
- pet stores;
- large shopping centers;
- the Internet;
- wholesale bases;
- nurseries.
In order not to spend too much money at the start and quickly achieve full payback, you can try to do the following:
- Find a permanent supplier of raw materials closer to your workshop. Yes, shipping will be cheaper.
- Working in several shifts and maximizing the range of manufactured goods, you can achieve high profits.
- Try to sell fillers not only through large networks and stores, but also find a way out directly to consumers.
- By purchasing used equipment, you will significantly reduce costs and only acquire newer equipment over time.
Financial part
We will provide average numbers, although depending on the model of equipment chosen, the final calculations will vary greatly.
Raw materials for organic filler cost no more than 4 rubles per kg. You can sell finished goods for 100-200 rubles. Thus, your initial investment will pay off fairly quickly. Profitability is estimated at 100-150% and in six months you can get a net profit from production.
Video: how is cat litter made?
There are several types of commercial litters for cat litter and rodent cages: organic, silica gel, clumping.
Organic fillers are made from sawdust, shavings, nutshells, corn cobs. Such fillers have good absorbency and low price (compared to other types of such products). They are environmentally friendly and absolutely harmless to animals.
For start-up entrepreneurs, it is most profitable to produce wood filler, which is wood pellets with a diameter of approximately 6-8 mm.
This material is made from environmentally friendly wood (usually pine) without the addition of any binding impurities and substances.
Porous granules actively absorb moisture and smell and are popular among pet owners. In pet stores, wood fillers, among all other types of similar products, occupy a leading position in terms of sales.
The production of wood fillers is one of the most promising areas for small businesses, characterized by high profitability and does not require large start-up capital.
The retail price of organic filler starts from 15-20 rubles/kg. Usually, the filler is packaged in packages from 5 kg (from 100-150 rubles / package).
In most cases, as part of such a filler - wood pellets. As a rule, wholesalers buy pellets in bulk at a price of 4-5 thousand rubles. per ton (4 rubles / kg), they are packed in bags and sold to retail chains.
Thus, only when purchasing pellets from the manufacturer and packaging them, you can achieve 100-150% profitability. Organization of own production will increase the volume of products sold and further reduce costs.
This will require the appropriate equipment. A line with a production capacity of 700 kg/hour costs between $70,000 and 90,000. A mini-line that produces about 100-150 kg of granulate per hour will cost $5,000. However, every three months some parts need to be replaced at a total cost of $600.
Sawdust of a certain moisture content (up to 16%) and fractions are used as raw materials. As a rule, for the production of pellets, it is preferable to take light coniferous wood, since hardwood retains moisture and smell worse.
As a bedding in cages for rodents, pellets from corn raw materials (stumps) are used. If the moisture content of the sawdust used in the production is higher than 16%, you will also need a $25,000 dryer, a crusher if the fraction of the purchased raw materials does not meet the requirements, as well as equipment for cooling and screening the granules.
Finished products will need to be packed (preferably in packages weighing 2, 5, 10 and 36 kg), which will also require additional equipment costing from 150 thousand rubles. Branded packages (with a logo) will cost more than usual ones due to the payment for the designer's work, the manufacture of matrices and the use of paint.
Many manufacturers and wholesalers use simple transparent Zip Lock bags for packaging (from 1-1.5 rubles/piece) with stickers (cost from 30 kopecks/piece).
The main advantage of this type of production is the possibility of its placement in a small area. The production line requires an area of about 50 square meters. m. There is also no need to rent large storage facilities - finished pellets are quite compact and bulky.
This type of product is not subject to mandatory certification. But if you plan to produce pellets not only for use as fillers, it is better to take care of obtaining the necessary certificates of conformity, which will take some time and require additional costs.
The main sales channels are pet stores, retail chains (super- and hypermarkets), nurseries. The wholesale price when purchasing directly from the manufacturer is on average 15 rubles/kg.
A small retail outlet (a stall in the market selling pet products) buys from 100 kg of fillers per month.
In addition, pellets can be used for other purposes. Since this material was originally intended for heating stoves, wood semi-finished products are used in everyday life as a cheap combustible material (in particular, for frying kebabs).
In addition, wood pellets can be sold through specialized gardening stores, as they often replace sawdust and are used to loosen and fertilize the soil.
If there is high competition among manufacturers of similar products in your city or region, it is better to think over the possibility of delivery to other regions from the very beginning.
Most often, manufacturers send pellets in batches of 20 thousand tons. Delivery of smaller lots is generally not profitable. The cost of delivery of the minimum lot is from 18 thousand rubles, depending on the region.
Profitability calculator for this business
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Cunning marketers have long found out that people sometimes spend absolutely crazy money on their pets.
Haircuts and clothes, veterinarians and even cosmetologists (!) will not miss their chance to lighten the wallet of the owner of a cat or dog. And this is not to mention the breeders of thoroughbred animals, who, even more so, spend huge sums on their wards.
However, most of the townspeople do not reach this point, providing pets only with what is really necessary. For example, the production of cat litter never lacks orders from retail chains. In a word, if you intend to organize your business, but do not know what needs to be done for this, remember the needs of our smaller brothers.
What are the fillers?
Here are the types of cat litter: organic, gel and clumping varieties. The last two will probably not be of interest to an ordinary entrepreneur in our country, since raw materials and equipment for their production are expensive, and therefore the cost of the final product is such that demand for it will only be in large cities.
Characteristics of organic species
Therefore, we would recommend setting up the production of cat litter from the simplest organic fillers, which include only environmentally friendly raw materials. The latter circumstance, by the way, automatically exempts you from the mandatory certification of fillers.
They can be produced from sawdust, shavings or nutshells, as well as waste from corn processing. This raw material has an excellent ability to absorb moisture and odors, costs literally a penny, and is also completely safe for animal health.
Best Raw Material
If you are just starting to expand your production, then it is best to use ready-made wood pellets. Their diameter is about 6-8 mm. Usually they are made in huge quantities on the basis of wood processing enterprises, and pine and spruce wood is most often used as raw materials.
The fact is that this material not only actively absorbs biological fluids, but also has a bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect. Among all wood cat litter, spruce is the most practical solution. Since raw materials are cheap, sales of such fillers are growing every year.
Costs and profitability
Oddly enough, but it is the production of cat litter that has excellent profitability indicators, and also does not require a huge start-up capital. Most often, products are packaged in packages of five to ten kilograms, and the cost of one is about 120-200 rubles.
As we have already said, granules-pellets are used for its production. You can buy them at a price of about four rubles per kilogram. Thus, the initial profit will be at least 35 rubles per kilogram of finished products. That is why the manufacture of wood litter for cat litter has become so popular in recent years among even experienced entrepreneurs.
In principle, by organizing the purchase of raw materials directly from its manufacturer, it is quite possible to achieve a profitability of 100-150%. If, however, to produce pellets, purchasing only sawdust or shavings at bargain prices, the profitability of the enterprise will become even greater.
Production technology
The production of cat litter itself includes the following technological steps:
- Preliminary drying of raw materials, which is then sent for crushing.
- Additional drying. At the exit, the raw material should have a moisture content of no more than 8-12%.
- Subsequent crushing of chips in a hammer mill.
- Humidification of the resulting raw material with steam (for its subsequent better bonding).
- Pressing into molds and cooling granules.
- Screening and packaging of finished products. By the way, bags for fillers can also be produced independently, since the cost of this process is low.
Equipment, its cost
Of course, for this you need the appropriate equipment. We recommend using the finished OGM 1/5 line at first. As raw materials, sawdust, shavings and dry peat can be laid there. The latter, by the way, makes the production of cat litter even cheaper.
The cost of such a line is about two million rubles. The most important element of the entire production is the granulator, but you still cannot do without other equipment.
Consider all the components of the line separately:
- Chip grinder - costs about 180 thousand rubles.
- A dryer for raw materials (depending on capacity and volume) can cost between 400 thousand and 2.5 million rubles.
- The simplest granulator costs about 50 thousand, but the most reliable and functional models are sold within 1.5 million. In the OGM-1/5 we examined, this constructive part costs about one million.
- The pellet cooler will cost 400 thousand.
Note that it is still worth paying special attention to the granulator. The fact is that such a line uses a fairly large and bulky model. In principle, it is possible to purchase a more compact and lighter version, which can be installed directly in the workshop of a woodworking enterprise. In addition, such equipment can be supplied in a furniture workshop, simultaneously producing another type of product.
As for packaging, it is best to take bags of 5, 10, 15 and 30 liters. We have already mentioned that you can produce them yourself.
The cost of equipment for this is about 150-200 thousand rubles. If you order packaging from third-party manufacturers, and even with the requirement to print your company logo on it, then this will ultimately cost much more.
In principle, a small production of wood fillers can successfully use the simplest Zip Lock bags (within a couple of rubles apiece). In this case, it is much cheaper to order labels with the company logo from a third-party printing company.
Sales, certification issues, etc.
The main advantage of the production of fillers is the fact that for this there is no need to rent a large room. In principle, all equipment for the production of cat litter can be easily placed on 50 square meters. There is also no need for any special storage conditions.
As we noted at the very beginning of the article, products of this type are not subject to mandatory certification. You can sell it both in specialized pet stores and in outlets with everyday goods. If we talk about wholesale prices, then on average they are 15 rubles per kg.
Additional production options
But that's not all the benefits! The fact is that wood pellets for fillers can be used in a completely different capacity. So, if you use larger presses for their molding, then they can be packaged and sold as fuel for barbecues and fireplaces.
On the contrary, if sawdust (necessarily deciduous) is crushed to the finest possible consistency, then the granules diverge perfectly among gardeners as an excellent tool for improving the mechanical properties of the soil.
Generally speaking, in large cities, these issues need to be thought out in advance, since competition can be quite intense, and therefore other types of products will help maintain profits.
Pet owners, as a rule, do not spare financial resources to ensure proper care and maintenance of their pets. Among the huge variety of products presented by pet stores, an important place is occupied by litter for toilets. The main parameters that make them necessary, especially for cat owners in an apartment, are environmental friendliness and harmlessness of products, the ability to absorb all odors, as well as affordability. What is a cat litter business?
Despite the variety of types of filler itself, it is optimal to start the production of granular wood filler, where the diameter of the granules is approximately 5-8 millimeters. The advantage of the finished product is the absence of binding impurities when processing environmentally friendly wood, due to which moisture and smell are well absorbed. It is these pellet-pellet fillers that they prefer to purchase for their cats.
To start implementing this business idea, you need a small room with an area of about 45-50 square meters. meters, special equipment, as well as sawdust, with a moisture content of not more than 16%. Granules made from coniferous light wood have better absorbent properties compared to other fractions.
From the equipment you will need a pelletizer, which can produce about 100-150 kg from sawdust per hour. finished products, the price of such a device starts from 140,000 rubles. However, there are also more powerful lines that can produce 600 kilograms per hour, but their cost is 5-6 times more than the average pelletizer.
You will also need a dryer, crusher and sieve, cooling equipment, all this will cost about one million rubles.
It is necessary to pack finished products in paper or plastic bags of different sizes. The minimum selling weight is 5 kilograms. Such a package will cost from 100 rubles. They must be issued by putting a color seal with the appropriate stamp. An alternative to such expenses is the sale of granules in transparent bags with stickers (Zip Lock), where the necessary data is located.
What can be combined with this business? Read - "", "" and "".
Finished products should be sold, first of all, to pet stores, supermarkets and other specialized pet supply stores. The average price per kilogram of filler is 15 rubles. It should be remembered that one small outlet sells more than 100 kilograms per month. Moreover, it is important to consider that it is unprofitable to supply batches of products less than 20 tons over long distances, which should be taken into account when organizing this business.
Do not forget that pellets are increasingly used in everyday life. Boilers working on pellets have appeared, they are used for shish kebabs, gardeners fertilize the soil with them. All these niches are still free in most Russian regions.
In this regard, the production of wood fillers is the most promising for developing your own business, because. does not require significant financial investments and is highly profitable.
